Why Do You Write for Aphelion When it Doesn't Pay?

September 20, 2004, 04:14:30 PM

Here's my reason:

... I like it ...

PS - Thanks for helping me to recover from my stroke, too. I didn't think I could write again, but maybe you have helped to change that.

Kate Even from your first few posts here, I could tell that whatever bits of the Kate Thornton noggin may have been damaged, the parts that made you a good writer were not among them. Now that you have proved to yourself (the rest of us had no doubts) that you can still write as well as ever (one-handed typing notwithstanding ;)), I have no doubt that you'll be turning out stuff for money again. I just hope that your next-year Nightwatch story won't be the only Kate Thornton work we get to read here. That would be way too long between appearances. (Dan, tell her we'll take any defunct-webzine stuff she's willing to throw your way, and, of course, any new stuff that can't find a good home elsewhere!) Robert M.

September 20, 2004, 04:26:41 PM

Oops. In replying to Kate's post, I forgot to say why I write for Aphelion. (a) You dance with the one what brung you. That is to say, having been welcomed by Dan, Cary, McCamy, and Jeff, I would be reluctant to "leave" even if I COULD sell every word I turned out. (Now THAT would be a far-fetched science fiction scenario ...) (b) The Al Majius series (which didn't start out as a series, and certainly not as one with a Main Plotline that tends to dominate things) started here, and will end here (that Main Plotline, anyway). I like the characters and situations too much to stop writing the damn things, but the backstory problem would make selling any of them individually pretty tough (any new ones, that is). Once the series is complete, maybe I can revamp them into a book and make a few bucks; until then, I just can't disappoint my fans (I'm sure there MUST be at least two ...). (c) Any feedback is better than none, and the feedback here is much better than at other zines where my stories have appeared (all three of them). Other than a formal writers' group/workshop, I can't think of too many places where I could get solid storytelling advice (Cary and Jeff, this means you) and honest (nitpicking) critiques as quickly. Even so, maybe some of us SHOULD join a formal workshop / writers' group in addition to writing for Aphelion (and in its lettercol) -- a huge number of potential fresh eyeballs and brains to scrutinize our work and make suggestions can't hurt (okay, it can sting like a sonuvabeeyotch, but it can't make your writing worse ... unless you try to follow ALL the suggestions you might get ...) Robert M.

Post by **kailhofer** » September 21, 2004, 09:02:31 PM

Why do I write for Aphelion when it doesn't pay? Because the experience will pay, someday. 8) That, and I happen to like this bunch of crotchety nitpickers, don't ask me why. :) Nate

September 21, 2004, 11:01:56 PM

Why do I write for Aphelion when it doesn't pay?

Because the experience will pay, someday. 8)

That, and I happen to like this bunch of crotchety nitpickers, don't ask me why. :)

Nate

Crotchety nitpickers? Well, I suppose it's better that than nitty crotchpickers. (Oy vey) Robert M.

Post by **kailhofer** » September 21, 2004, 11:39:35 PM

Crotchety nitpickers? Well, I suppose it's better that than nitty crotchpickers. (Oy vey)

Robert M.

You blew your 300th post on that?? You forgot to put in an Al Majius plug, too... (Oh, how the mighty have fallen.) :) Nate

Post by **kailhofer** » December 04, 2004, 01:15:03 PM

I was thinking about this thread this morning while editing the WOTF contest story I have been crooning about. (I always prefer to edit in the morning. I'm a night person, so I'm a lot more picky and crabby in the a.m.--that makes for sharper editing.) Anyhow, as I read and tweaked, I realized that if I had written this today, I would have made different choices. Ones that, I think, would be better. This made me consider what was different between then and now. Then, I labored alone, never having even seen a webzine, my only feedback in the form of an ever-thickening drawer full of form rejection slips. Then I stumbled on this place. Since then, over a half-dozen published online at various sites, someone actually *paid* for a story, and I almost placed in a big contest. I'm looking at my story, and for the first time, I actually feel confident that someone will buy it if I keep sticking it under the noses of editors long enough. Why should anyone write for Aphelion when it doesn't pay? Because Aphelion and the Lettercol will make your writing better. The "Usual Suspects" here is a community of people to support you, challenge you, infuriate you, and make you laugh. There's help here for writers, new or already professional, to improve. This is a place to grow and experiment, to hone your style and focus. What writer could ask for more? I want to thank Dan again for his vision in creating this literary sandbox for our inner children to play and grow up in, becoming the writers we all can be. Jeff, Iain, Cary, and the rest of the "Editorial Mafia"--thanks for your hard work. Nate

Megawatts · Post by **Megawatts** » December 04, 2004, 08:10:19 PM

I just started writing, but I see real talent here at Aphelion. Most of the stories I read here are very good! Since I'm new at writing, I base my judgment on reading and can say that many of these stories could have been published in a paying magazine! But the real benefit of Aphelion is its coffee house type setting were writers can sit around and exchange stories and ideas and find new material. The feedback is great and the criticism is extremely helpfull. So helpfull that it is true guidance. To sum up how I feel about Aphelion: it's a cultivator of imagination, a place to experiment, and a coffee house where writers can mingle!

December 04, 2004, 08:30:35 PM

Oh, you're very welcome Nate.
You're the latest in a series of shining examples of why Aphelion exists. And what I meant for it to do. If anyone feels like they're a better writer because of Aphelion, then the staff and I have done our work and have gotten our best reward.
Thank you for becoming part of the family.
Dan
Capo Del Tuti Capo
Editorial Mafia

Capo del Tuti Capo -- that's Itralian (as Tony Barreta would put it) for Tutti-Frutti Head, isn't it? But seriously, by providing an outlet for my stuff (some of it old, bottom of the trunk material, some of it brand new), Aphelion has increased my output from a few thousand words per YEAR to about 20 times that. If you subscribe to the '(minimum) million words of crap before the good stuff ' theory, I may get to the good stuff before I die. Unless somebody reads the crap and decides to kill me, that is. I just got word from Ralan Conley that his 2004 Spectravaganza stories were reviewed in Daniel E. Blackston's webpage at sfreader.com. Mr. Blackston's (is he like the Mr. Blackwell, famous only for commenting on other people?) remarks on my story are (copyright violation) quoted below: Moriyama's story takes place in a bar, "The Halfway House" in Purgatory. Enter a tax-auditor who smells like Hell, literally, and a conundrum: what happens when a bureaucrat is promoted from Hell to Purgatory ... and misses Hell? You can imagine why - the absolute hierarchy, the billions of nagging forms and paper-trails. In other words, one man's Hell is another's Paradise. This is a cute, but quite slight, little tale that earns my thumb's up for a chuckle or two. Damning with faint praise, perhaps, but I'll take the 'thumbs up' and quote it out of context ... Of course, he didn't say thumbs up WHERE, but at least he didn't suggest that I rotate upon said thumb, so ... See http://www.sfreader.com/db_ff120304.asp for the rest of Mr. Blackston's column, which includes reviews of other web publications (and a link to a new zine now looking for material -- it's called Flashing Swords, so it's probably a fantasy / swords 'n' sorcery venue, for those of you who write in that vein). Robert M.

Post by **kailhofer** » December 05, 2004, 11:37:54 AM

Capo del Tuti Capo -- that's Itralian (as Tony Barreta would put it) for Tutti-Frutti Head, isn't it?

I thought it was Captain of the Tutti-Frutti. Isn't that the job title for the guy who scoops the ice cream? :) Congrats on the review. Faint praise is still praise. Nate

Megawatts · Post by **Megawatts** » December 25, 2004, 10:12:52 AM

Aphelion is a great magazine! The more I think about writing----and I must congradulate Aphelion and its lettercolumn that stimulates me to think about writing and the direction in which my writing is taking me to--- the less interest I have in a paying market! I love the writing! No contest! Writing seems to exist for itself! Each story that I compose dives into hidden layers of my mind, and I discover new layers with almost each word that I place on paper. And to be honest, some layers scared the H out of me, but then again I'm the only one who can witness them first hand. But fortunately, most of the layers or hidden caverns that I encouter please me and often give me a warm feeling of self-worth. I'm sure other writers know the feeling but I've never experienced this until I decided to write science fiction or phantasy! George

Post by **Robert_Moriyama** » July 06, 2006, 09:55:30 AM

New reason: Because I clearly won't get paid for anything I write, so I may as well just do my bit to sill someone's Tuesday Night Reading Hour, and see how far the Karma travels when compared to the Alternate history World where Aphelion did not exist and people were forced to watch re-runs of Lost In Space.

--TaoPhoenix

... Oh, gods -- not SEASON 3!!! (in Elmer Fudd voice): The howwow -- the howwow ... Robert M.

Megawatts · Post by **Megawatts** » October 23, 2006, 10:18:57 PM

Aphelion is a fun place! I like everybody that I chat with, and I enjoy the stories each month.

I am learning more and more each month, and am enjoying my writing more since I joined Aphelion.

When writing for Aphelion, one can explore the limits of his/her imagination, and once there meet others who have ventured even further. It's the freedom of thought marching towards unrestricted bounderies.

Aphelion is a great site, and one that should be visited often!

Aphelion

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